On New Year’s Day, Rolling Stone published their “200 Greatest Singers of All Time” list and people fought about it for days. I skipped it – I didn’t even look at the list, nor did I care enough about who was placed where. As I get older, those listicles of “the greatest whatever” are just stupid – all art is subjective, everyone has different tastes and the online stan wars are too crazy. Well, Chaka Khan feels differently. Khan was recently interviewed on The Originals podcast and she was asked about the list. RS put her at #29. She took pains to emphasize how her ranking doesn’t validate her in any way, but she still had sh-t to say about the rankings of some of her fellow musical artists.
On New Year’s Day, in what seemed an early birthday gift for the “I’m Every Woman” singer, Rolling Stone awarded Khan a high perch on its “The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time” list, putting her at #29—a great neighborhood, it would seem, with David Bowie three positions behind and Paul McCartney just three ahead and Khan leaving such icons as Diana Ross (#87), Janice Joplin (#78), Tina Turner (#55) and Mick Jagger (#52) in the dust. This is not to mention Celine Dion, whose snub caused the Canadian chanteuse’s fans to take to the streets and picket the magazine’s Manhattan offices.
In the latest episode of The Originals, the award-winning podcast from Los Angeles, Khan—who may be entitled to be henceforth also known as the “Queen of Candor”—reveals her personal thoughts on Rolling Stone’s list. Apparently, the very existence of the magazine’s list was unknown to the legendary singer before the podcast’s host, Andrew Goldman, congratulated her on being included.
“I didn’t even know what the hell you were talking about, so obviously this don’t mean a great deal to me,” she told him. “These people don’t quantify or validate me in any way.”
Nevertheless, Khan was curious to hear who else appeared in the top 200. Some of Rolling Stone’s decisions struck her as apt, like granting Aretha Franklin the top spot (“As she f–king should be”) and including Joan Baez on the bubble, at #189 (“let’s be honest, the bitch cannot sing. Now, she was a good writer.”) In granting Mariah Carey the #5 spot, however, Khan suspects the kind of industry chicanery that has long dogged the singer (“That must be payola or some sh-t like that.”).
It was Adele’s inclusion, a few spaces ahead of Khan at #22, that brought on a momentary existential crisis. (“Okay, I quit.”) However, nothing seemed to prepare Khan for the news that longtime frenemy Mary J. Blige appears on the list just ahead of her, at #25. Khan remarked on Rolling Stone’s editors. “They are blind as a motherf–king bat! They need hearing aids…These must be the children of Helen Keller!”
The history: Though decades ago in concert, Khan had been known to introduce the 1975 Rufus ballad, “Sweet Thing” as “the song Mary J. Blige f–ked up” after the “queen of hip-hop soul” covered the song for her 1992 debut album. The pair appeared to have been enjoying a long détente, and Blige even sang on Khan’s 2007 song, “Funk This.” Now thanks to Rolling Stone, that truce may have run its course.
To the Rolling Stone editor who put Blige before Khan: Welcome to Chaka’s special s-list. Here you’ll join Ariana Grande, who failed to appear in in the same studio as Khan to record their duet “Nobody” for the 2019 Charlie’s Angels soundtrack, a snub that still stings. Khan explained: “I would never have somebody come sing on my motherf–king project without me knowing them.”
Give Chaka Khan the microphone more often, not just to sing, but to gossip. I’ve said this before, but I love it when older celebrities get to the point where all they do is trash everyone and talk sh-t. More people should give interviews like this, especially when they have f–k you money and a significant lack of f–ks left to give. Mariah Carey = payola! Ariana = disrespectful! Mary J. = f–ked up Chaka’s song. Joan Baez = the bitch who cannot sing!
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- Chaka Khan arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Columbia Pictures’ ‘Charlie’s Angels’ held at the Westwood Regency Theater on November 11, 2019 in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 540914992, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- BEVERLY HILLS, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – FEBRUARY 09: Chaka Khan arrives at the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party held at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on February 9, 2020 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States. (Photo by Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency),Image: 563496841, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
How nice that she managed to get in a sling toward the handicapped.
I mean she’s wrong for that but you’re in the same boat because “handicapped” is extremely offensive. We’re disabled people not handicapped
So sure, making fun of people is the equivalent of using a single word in ignorance. Okay, whatever.
@equality – that’s a weird way to say “sorry I didn’t realize. Thanks for letting me know”
I heard “differently abled” on the radio and that really resonated. “dis” is such a negative prefix.
This is an especially cruel statement on Baez, who was so upset when her soprano voice changed with age that she vowed to retire. However, she missed singing so much that she took voice lessons to learn to sing in her new lower range. She now performs as an alto.
This goes to what Kaiser said above about art being subjective. To you Baez’ soprano voice probably sounded great, to me it sounded more like screeching.
Haha, she is hilarious. And yeah, these listicles are idiotic, who actually reads them? Especially coming from Rolling Stone, which to me is the realm of sixty-something white guys who still get excited debating which band was better, The Guess Who or Bachman–Turner Overdrive.
Men are always on about somebody vs somebody mashups. It’s like a character flaw somewhere in their DNA. There are video games addressing this need. Mortal Combat is an excellent example lol. They’re ALWAYS pitting superheroes against superheroes. It’s almost tangible.
I stopped caring when Rolling Stone named Sting the worst songwriter of all time. It was so random, stupid, petty, and most importantly deeply untrue.
“These must be the children of Helen Keller”…. um, WOW.
This has to be some right wing bullshit. Some white man, or a female Trump, is about to stand up and point a finger to Chaka Khan, for trashing Helen Keller. They are going to use this as the excuse for why “cancel culture” is the devil, poor Helen Keller, wah, wah.
She’s right that the list doesn’t mean anything, but I kind of wish she had stopped there instead of trashing other women to make her point.
Also I saw Joan Baez in concert a couple years ago, she was nearing 80 years old at the time, and her voice was still strong and beautiful.
Baez’s voice has dropped from soprano to alto. She almost retired because of it but she took voice lessons to learn how to sing in the lower range and changed some of the arrangements of her songs to accommodate it. And yes, she sounds fine.
As a longtime folkie, I’ve loved every iteration of Joan Baez’s voice. She has clarity, power, and sincerity. Off topic, never understood why people went nuts for Judy Collins’ voice – it’s very pure, to be sure, but always seemed so listless.
LOL. I think she dissed Adele as well?
“These must be the children of Helen Keller!”
Omg
Yes, the listicles are pointless anyway, but there’s also the fact that reactions to them often seem to be coming from the wrong place. “Greatest singer” doesn’t necessarily mean that the person has a conventionally beautiful, mellifluous voice, or that they have an impressive range, etc. Some singers are great because their voices are distinctive, like Bob Dylan or Neil Young.
(For what it’s worth, we can argue forever about the exact placements on the most recent edition of that Rolling Stone list, but it must be said that it has a wide range of artists from many different genres and eras, and from all over the world. It wasn’t anglophone-centric like these lists so often are.)
Ok this was funny!
But Celine’s fans picketed at the RS HQ, that is so pathetic I can’t lmao
Ha ha. I love it. Listen, I grew up listening to Mary J. Blige. Her debut album dropped when I was in elementary school and…. I agree with Chaka. That was not the best cover of her song and the joke for years, a joke in love with Mary J. Blige is we love her swag and her all, but she doesn’t have strong vocal appeal. She shouldn’t be on the list higher than Chaka. Her opinion of Mariah Carey = payola! Lol, I love Mariah Carey and think she is a great vocal artist, but that payola gossip will never stop. It’s true, and it’s a part of how she broke through so hard. Ariana = disrespectful! I mean yeah it is disrespectful for her to be on this list, like some of her tunes but yeah, Ariana has issues with enunciating. I have to try really hard to understand her lyrics sometimes. Joan Baez = the bia who cannot sing! I don’t know her so I can’t speak to her.
I think the disrespect was because Ariana didn’t show up to perform their duet or something? Not because she’s on the list. Ari may have issues with enunciating, but so does Sam Smith, and they both have some of the best voices in modern pop music IMO.
I’ve been reading her interviews for some time now, and I have to admit, it annoys me that she has the energy to put down other artists. Abd while I could have missed it, it seems like she doesnt do it to men.
If she isn’t bothered, she should probably keep people’s names out her mouth. She just comes off as bitter and having a one-dimensional view of singing. Just because someone isn’t shouting on a record, it doesn’t mean they can’t sing, auntie.
i ignored the list too. Chaka Khan isn’t holding anything back and she had gone thru it in the music industry. Her voice is phenomenal! She’s right about Mary J’s remake of Sweet Thing. Its terrible and is the only song I disliked on her debut album. Didn’t know that’s how Chaka was introducing it when she performed it. Too funny!
Not many can touch Chaka’s vocals but Whitney Houston did an outstanding remake of I’m Every Woman. Celine Dion bring ignored was ridiculous and I’ve never been a fan. No one remotely sane and familiar with Soul/R&B music would have ranked Mary J above Chaka Khan. Unfortunately, there seems to be a deficit of naturally talented singers (not relying autotune) with wide ranges and producers/music industry still don’t know how to market strong women with powerful vocals. It also explains a lot of rankings on lists like these. Well that and making those lists to upset people and get us talking about it. Kudos RS!
Chaka Khan! Chaka Khan? I feel for them.
I see what you did there.
😂 That’s taking me back to high school! Kudos. 😆
Those “best of” lists exist solely to get people mad and talking about them. They’re pointless because they pit performers who are doing radically different things against each other. “Great singing” is not only subjective, but radically distinct depending upon genre.
I have to say I don’t find Khan’s remarks funny. It’s very easy to put others down, and the “children of Helen Keller” comment is disgusting.
She made many solid points, but she didn’t have to. The List is nonsense. Ease up on folks Chaka. LOL!!!
Nah. I think less of her after reading this. Weird bc like I’m reading a gossip blog so like I’m obviously here for this sort of thing. Can’t explain it I just find it so unnecessary and cringe of her especially that gross remark about disabled people. Bleh.
Yeah….I don’t mind frankness AT ALL but she took it too far, man. Mocking disabled folks is just gross.
Was she harsh, yes. Was some of it out of line, yes. BUT on a daily basis I read what is going on all over the world – earthquakes, KFC and the nastiness to his son and DIL, Desantis in Florida and all the other crazy crap – I welcome some stupidness on a Friday to make me laugh. Thank you for that laugh.
And these are conversations people have all the time. Most of the snippy comments are comments that have been around for a while. Many people criticize Ariana for her whisper singing; people have been discussing that Mary J Blige re-make since the 90s. Mariah and payola is also not a new conversation– that blew up in the mid-90s. So Chaka is just casually talking about things already apart of our general conversation. We can break down Spare, and any other form of celebrity interviews post by post, so I don’t have any qualms with this interview.
I’ve nothing to say about the other ones, except that Aretha being #1 is correct, but she’s right about Adele. Adele’s not a great singer. I can’t listen to her live because she’s off key so much. This is not true of other pop acts who are not known for being great singers, but Adele is like nails on a chalkboard unless she’s put through all the studio recording stuff.
The “joke” about Helen Keller was not okay.
Love Chaka Khan’s songs. She should re-listen to Joan Baez’ Silver Dagger. Staggeringly beautiful. And yes, she should have been higher on the list, but Janis Joplin near the bottom? So yeah, this was a stupid list. Would have liked her to talk shit about the men, instead of the women. Women get dumped on so much anyway.
Ima go out on a limb here Chaka and say that the “bitch” as you referred to Joan Baez, doesn’t give a flip about your opinion.
“Diamonds and Rust”(about Bob Dylan, I believe) and “Jesse” just leave me on the floor every time I hear them.
Aretha Franklin #1? nah. Pass
MY vote is either Patsy Cline or Joni Mitchell for #1 Just my personal opinion